Safety device for clothes wringers



Jan. 14, 1941. Q LUNDSTRQM 2,228,319

SAFETY DEVICE FOR CLOTHES WRINGERS Filed May 27, 1958 Patented Jan. 14,1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 4 Carl G. Lundstrom, Des Moines, Iowa,assignor of one-fourth to A. Anstrom, Boone, Iowa Application May 27,1938, Serial No. 210,396

3 Ciaims.

In the art of power driven domestic clothes wringers it is the practiceto provide relatively great spring pressure tending to hold the wringerrolls toward each other. In such Wringers and in the event that anoperator should have her fingers caught between the rolls, this springpressure in some instances crushes the finger bones and seriouslyinjures the hands.

To avoid this danger wringers of this class are now generally providedwith a so-called safety release, by the timely and successful operationof which the spring pressure on the roll is released and the operatorsfingers may then be withdrawn.

The object of my invention is to provide a safety wringer feeding deviceof simple, durable and inexpensive construction and comprising a clothesfeed plate and a safety feed roll, so arranged relative to the poweroperated wringer rolls that during an ordinary clothes feeding operationthe operators fingers will engage a raised rib upon the delivery end ofthe feed plate and the operator will thereby be warned as to theproximity of the wringer roll, and in the event that the operatorsfingers are moved beyond that point and should engage the wringer rolland should be moved thereby toward position for entering between thewringer rolls, the fingers will first be drawn between the upper wringerroll and my improved safety roll, and in this connection it is my objectto so position the safety roll and to apply such slight amount ofyieldin pressure to it that the pinching or gripping pressure so appliedto the fingers will be so slight that it could not injure the fingersand the operator could readily and easily withdraw the fingers, which ofcourse would be done instinctively and instantly when such pinchingpressures were applied, thus avoiding the necessity for the oper- 40ator to consciously grasp and operate a safety release device under theconditions of shock, surprise and pain which the operator experienceswhen the necessity for operating safety release devices arises.

Figure 1 shows a vertical transverse sectional view of a clothes wringerprovided with my improved safety devices, the one at the right beingshown in its lowered position for feeding clothes to the wringer, andthe one at the left being 50 shown in elevated position where it willnot retard the passage of clothes from the wringer.

Figure 2 shows a detail side view of a portion of the safety rollsupporting frame with the safety roll therein. The dotted lines show theposition of the delivery edge of the feeding plate.

Figure 3. shows a detail side View of a portion of a wringer frame and aportion of my improved safety device in position therein, part of thewringer frame being shown in section to illustrate the slot therein, andthe dotted lines show 5 the remainder of the slot and the roller forsupporting the safety frame within said slot. A portion of the clothesfeeding plate is also broken away to show portions of the safety frame;and

Figure 4 shows a detail edge view taken from the side adjacent theclothes wringer rolls and. illustrating a portion of'the safety roll andthe adjacent end portion of the safety roll frame.

Referring to the accompanying drawing I have used the reference numeral[B to indicate generally the frame of the clothes wringer and H theupper wringer roll and I2 the lower wringer roll. These parts are all ofthe ordinary construction new in common use and belong to that class ofdomestic clothes wringers which are power operated and in which therolls are yieldingly held together at considerable pressure. The meansfor applying the pressure are not shown as they are in common use.

Formed in the wringer frame i0 adjacent the upper wringer roll is a slotI3 extended downwardly and toward the wringer rolls. Slidingly androtatably mounted in this slot is a roller [4, pivoted to the arm l5 ofthe safety frame. A similar arm [5 is mounted in the same manner at theopposite end of the wringer frame, and the safety roll It is rotatablymounted in these arms. These arms 15 are formed with extensions H whichproject outwardly and downwardly from the wringer frame and to which theclothes feed plate I3 is fixed. The lower outer edge of this feed plateis preferably curved and rounded at I9, and at the upper delivery edgethere is formed a raised rib 20 for the purposes hereinafter made clear.These parts are normally so positioned that when the roll I 6 is inengagement with the upper wringer roll H, the delivery edge of theclothes feed plate is in approximately the same horizontal plane as thehorizontal center of the upper wringer roll, and the safety roll it isin position in engagement with the upper wringer roll and spaced apartfrom the lower wringer roll, as shown at the right in Figure l.

Mounted upon the extensions ll are rollers 2i, and the adjacent edges ofthe wringer frame are formed with rounded notches 22 and 23 to receivethe rollers 2| and thereby hold the safety frame either in its loweredor elevated position. In Figure l the roller 2| is shown by dotted linesto be in position in the lower notch 22, and at the left in Figure 1 theroll 2| is shown by dotted lines to be in position in the upper notch23. A contractile coil spring 24 is secured at one end to the lower edgeof the clothes feed plate and at its other end to the wringer frame, andthis spring normally holds the parts in the position shown at the rightin Figure 1.

In practical operation, and assuming that the operator was feedingclothes to a wringer over the feed plate shown at the right in Figure 1,then, as is well known, the operators fingers would be above the feedplate and pressing the clothes toward the upper wringer roll, andcustomarily the operators thumbs would be in position for grasping thelower outer edge of the feed plate. Normally, the clothes are forcedbeyond the delivery edge of the feed plate, and they then engage theadjacent horizontal central portion of the upper feed roll which carriesthe clothes downwardly. When the clothes are moved downwardly a shortdistance they are engaged by the safety roll I6, which is being rotatedby its contact with the wringer roll I I, and the clothes are therebyforced downwardly into position for entering between the wringer rolls.During this normal operation, and in the event that the clothes arerelatively thick, the safety roll IE will freely swing on the rollers I4away from the upper wringer roll II, and the safety device does not inany way interfere with this normal operation.

In the event, however, that a careless operator should move the clothesupwardly over the feed plate to the delivery edge thereof, the rib 20extending across the feed plate would be engaged by the fingers, and inthis way the operator would be warned and could withdraw her fingers. Inthe event, however that the operator should extend her fingersdownwardly beyond the end of the feed plate to a position between thewringer roll II and the safety roll IS, the spring 24. being relativelysmall in size would, however, exert some pressure tending to pinch theoperators fingers between the safety roll and the upper wringer roll,and under such conditions and without conscious thought the operatorwould instantly withdraw her fingers. This may be readily and easilydone because the amount of pressure applied to the spring 24 is soslight that it would not prevent such movement and would not injure thefingers, so that under no conditions of actual use would the operatorever insert her fingers and have them pinched, as before described, andthen continue to extend them downwardly and inwardly between the wringerrolls.

The safety device on the opposite side is moved to the position shown atthe left in Figure 1 so that the safety roll [6 would not interfere withthe passage of the clothes. This may be done by simply grasping the feedplate and moving it outwardly and upwardly so that the roller l4 movesup to the notch of the slot l3, whereupon the roller 21 will enter thenotch 23 and hold it in its position.

I claim as my invention:

1. The combination with a clothes wringer having a frame and wringerrolls, of a safety roll, a frame in which the safety roll is rotatablymounted, means for slidingly connecting the frame of the safety rollwith the wringer for permitting movement of the safety roll upwardly andaway from the upper wringer roll and downwardly toward the lower portionof the upper wringer roll, a spring for yieldingly holding the frame ofthe safety roll toward the upper wringer roll, the wringer frame beingformed with notches and the safety frame being provided with a device toenter said notches whereby the safety frame may be supported by saidspring in either its elevated or lowered position.

2. The combination with a clothes wringer having a frame and wringerrolls, of a safety roll, a frame in which the safety roll is rotatablymounted, guides at the upper ends of the safety frame, the wringer framebeing formed with slots to slidingly and pivotally receive said guides,extensions at the ends of the safety frame, the wringer frame beingformed with notches to receive said extensions, and a contractile springattached to the safety frame and to the wringer frame, for yieldinglyholding the safety frame toward the wringer and permitting pivotalmovement of the safety frame toward and from the wringer frame and alsofor holding the safety frame in either its elevated or lowered position.

3. The combination with a clothes wringer having a frame and wringerrolls, of a safety roll, a frame in which the safety roll is rotatablymounted, said wringer frame being formed with slots extending downwardlyand toward the wringer frame, and also with two notches, rollers at theupper end of the safety frame slidingly and rotatably mounted in saidslots, rollers at the sides of the safety frame to enter said notches,and a contractile coil spring secured to the safety roll frame and tothe wringer frame, for the purposes stated.

CARL G. LUNDSTROM.

